The Chicago Blackhawks have secured the next cornerstone of their franchise.
On Wednesday, the team selected 17-year-old Canadian sensation Connor Bedard as the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Bedard has spent the last three years playing for the junior team Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League, part of the major-junior-level Canadian Hockey League. He was also selected as the first overall pick by the Pats in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft.
The phenom has scored 134 goals and dished out 137 assists in 134 games with Regina, averaging 2.02 points per game.
The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups this century in 2010, 2013, and 2015. However, they have failed to qualify for the past three playoffs, and they finished last in their division and the third-worst record in the NHL in the 2022-23 season.
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Connor Bedard, One of the Most-Hyped Hockey Prospects Ever
Bedard will enter the league as one of the most-hyped prospects in the sport's history.
He was already gaining prominence at 13 when The Hockey News labeled him "the future of hockey" in 2018.
In his under-15 season in minor hockey, spent with the West Vancouver Academy Prep of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, Bedard put up 64 goals and 24 assists in 30 games.
The center was so good that he began playing in the under-18 division at just 14 years old the following season. He was named the Most Valuable Player for both his U15 and U18 seasons, leading the league in goals and points.
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